THE Mwanza City Council from March next year is expected to implement a giant multi-billion commercial complex project aimed at stimulating businesses and attracting more investors in the region.

Mwanza city Assistant Economist and Planning Officer, Joseph Kashushula told the 'Daily News' on Friday that all the necessary preparations have been completed and that the commercial complex would be located at Ghana Area in Ilemela District.

He said the project is expected to stimulate businesses across the Lake Zone and the East African Community at large, “The project is expected to take three years and it is a joint venture between the Mwanza City authority and Local Authority pension Fund (LAPF),” said Kashushula.

Tuesday, 20 December 2011

FISH-processing factories in the country are on the verge of closing for lack of adequate fish supplies, it has been said.

Illicit fishing, which is said to have reached a crisis point around the country, has led to the depletion of fish population, triggering the current shortage that has left the factories yawning.

Dynamite fishing, where explosives are used to kill schools of fish for easy collection, and catching of immature fish have depleted the lakes and seas, according to Monitoring, Control and Surveillance (MCS) fisheries units in Mwanza and Kilwa Kivinje.

Friday, 16 December 2011

ABOUT 4,000 pupils who have passed this year's Primary School exams may not be able to pursue Secondary School studies due to a shortage of classrooms in the region.

Mwanza Regional Educational Officer (REO), Mr Khamis Maulid, said on Thursday that a total of 57,274 out of 93,918 candidates who sat for this year's primary education exams passed.

The REO said a total of 31,560 male pupils and 25,714 girls who sat for the exams in all seven districts of the region which are Mwanza Urban, Ukerewe, Magu, Sengerema, Kwimba, Misungwi and Geita scored above average in all five subjects.

The residents in these areas were found scrambling to buy water from street vendors at the cost of between 300/- and 1000/- per bucket.

"We have been experiencing water shortages for over two weeks now. This situation is unbearable to us because we can hardly afford to buy water at such exorbitant prices," lamented one Buhongwa ward resident, Mr Maduhu Gishiro.

Tuesday, 6 December 2011

Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda was among passengers who were stranded when heavy rains caused floods that prompted closure of Mwanza Airport lasting nearly six hours.

Aircraft could neither land nor take off as a major part of the runway and taxiways were covered with water.

Mr Pinda was in Mwanza to attend the 40th anniversary of Weil Bugando Referral Hospital celebrations. He had arrived from Dar es Salaam on Friday evening for a three-day visit, which he concluded earlier yesterday, only for his return journey to be put on hold on account of the flooded airport.

A similar ordeal faced passengers bound for Mwanza from elsewhere, including Julius Nyerere International Airport.

The floods occurred only three weeks after similar incident last month.Talking to The Citizen on the phone, the Mwanza Airport manager, Ms Esther Mdale, said they were forced to close the airport for obvious safety reasons.

“The runway and taxiways were flooded and no plane could land or take off. That is why we decided to close the facility for six hours. After clearing it, we will assess the situation before opening it for resumption of operations,” she said earlier in the day.

Mwanza. The Weill Bugando Hospital, in dire need of expansion and rehabilitation, received a major boost that could change its fortunes following a successful fundraising function that netted Sh60 million.

The event on Friday night was spearheaded by Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda and saw pledges amounting to over Sh1.4 billion made by individuals and organisations, especially from the mining sector.

African Barrick Gold was on top of the list after pledging to fund two of the five new theatres needed at the cost of Sh500 million. It was followed by Ausdrill (T) Limited. The international Australian company dealing in drilling, blasting and exploration of gold pledged to fund another theatre at the cost of Sh237 million.

Tucta Mwanza Region pledged Sh200 million. The trade union had also participated in a fundraising campaign to rehabilitate the Mwanza regional hospital two years ago when it contributed Sh196 million.

The eyesore that is Mwanza Airport when it rains reared its ugly head again on Sunday. This time around, it was none other than the country’s Prime Minister, Mr Mizengo Pinda, who was at the receiving end. His flight out of the lakeside city was delayed for more than six hours!

This was not the first time that such a cancellation was effected at this extremely important facility. Which is to say, we aren’t raising the matter simply because our PM was caught in the thick of things.

Mwanza is a busy commercial hub, being Tanzania’s second largest city whose importance cannot be overemphasised. It is ironical that authorities seem helpless in the face of this flooding problem that leads to cancellation of flights whenever there is a downpour.

Sunday, 4 December 2011

TODAY’S lifestyle has changed the way many women think with regard to education. Like men, they too aspire for knowledge and make efforts to get it by any means to supplement the communal struggle to eliminate poverty.

The saying of ‘ukimwelimisha mwanamke umeelimisha jamii’ in the country today has stocked the fire in women’s ire to get more education for economic independence. In English the saying means: “If you educate a woman, you educate a family.”

“I feel proud when at the end of the month I can decide in my family that we have to do this and that,” said Ms Prisca Mhanus, a Bachelor of Education at St. Augustine student at the University of Tanzania (SAUT) in Mwanza. Ms Mhanus feels happy and proud when she caters for the family from her own pocket to take some economic weight off her husband’s shoulders.

THE Prime Minister, Mr Mizengo Pinda, on Saturday succeeded to solicit a total of 1.5bn/- during a fund-raising event aimed at rehabilitating and improving health services delivery at the Bugando Medical Centre.

The event took place at the Gold Crest Hotel in Mwanza city. The amount exceeded the previous target of 1bn/- and it took the premier about three hours to convince businessmen, financial institutions, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), local authorities and members of the general public to contribute for the course.

Major contributions came from African Gold Barrick Mine that pledged to contribute 500m/-, while Geita Gold Mine pledged a total of 200m/-. Others were Aus Drill (237m/-), TUCTA-Mwanza (200m/-) and seven Mwanza municipal councils which contributed a total of over 70m/-.

Others in the list were Serengeti Breweries, Vick Fish, Nyanza Roads Works, Gold Crest Hotel and Shia Ithna Asheri, which altogether pledged to contribute a total of 45m/-. About 60m/- was obtained in cash during the fund-raising event and the remaining 1.4bn/- was pledges. President Jakaya Kikwete and Premier Pinda pledged to contribute a total of 24m/-.

Saturday, 3 December 2011

TANZANIA Revenue Authority (TRA) in Mwanza region has for the past fifteen years exceeded a target of tax collections by over 100 per cent.

The TRA Regional Manager Jeremiah Lusana told a news conference on Friday that the revenue authority was since its inception in 1996 required to collect 642m/-, but the actual collections had until then stood at 642,605,191,000/-, which was equivalent to an increase of 102 per cent.

“Although we face a number of challenges in the process of tax collections, we still have succeeded to go above the stated targets here in Mwanza region.

THE war against gender based violence needs to be intensified in order to bring about genuine women emancipation in Tanzania, the Kivulini Women's Rights Organization Programme Manager, Policy and Advocacy, Celestine Nyenga, has said.

"A path to gender equality and women emancipation still faces lots of challenges and obstacles as we can still witness gender related violence remains pervasive in our society," she said.

Mrs Nyenga was addressing a news conference on Thursday on preparations for the commemoration of the International Day for the Elimination of violence against women and fight against gender related violence.

Thursday, 24 November 2011

As the world is preparing for the Durban Climate Change Summit next week, experts have warned of increased frequency and severity of extreme weather events, in the East African Region.The director general of the Tanzania Meteorological Authority (TMA) Dr Agnes Kijazi said here on Monday that recent flash floods, which caused injuries to people and destruction of property was a matter of concern.

These included floods associated with strong winds which swept Mwanza, Entebbe and Bukoba towns on the shores of Lake Victoria as well as landslides which continue to wreak havoc in mountainous areas in eastern Uganda.

She made the remarks when speaking at the start of a regional training workshop on severe weather forecasting and warning services, sponsored by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and which attracted experts from six countries. She said due to the global warming, a key factor for the changing climatic phenomenon, there was a likelihood of increased frequency and severity of extreme weather events like intense storms, droughts and floods.

Wednesday, 23 November 2011

MOSQUITOES, particularly many species of female mosquitoes, are blood sucking pests and dangerous vectors of diseases such as malaria.

Their elimination is, therefore, a matter of paramount importance. It is a matter of life and death. Mosquitoes come in various types, the most known being anopheles for their malaria-infection notoriety.

Any effort, therefore, towards the elimination of mosquitoes is a commendable move worth all encouragement.

According to officials of the National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP), the second round of the Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) operation will begin at the end of this month in 18 districts of the Lake Zone regions of Mwanza, Kagera and Mara.

Sunday, 20 November 2011

Bukoba. At least 15 people died on the spot and 13 others were seriously injured yesterday in an accident involving a bus and a lorry in Biharamulo District, Kagera Region.The mid-morning accident occurred when the Taqwa bus travelling to Bujumbura from Dar es Salaam collided with a lorry.

The Biharamulo District Hospital assistant chief medical officer, Dr Michael Abila, confirmed that the bodies of seven men and eight women had been received at the hospital, adding that only four had been identified. He said most of the injured were in a critical condition.

There were hectic scenes at the hospital as doctors and nurses struggled to save the lives of the injured, who included a one-year-old child believed to have lost his mother in the accident.

There were plans to transfer some of the victims to Mwanza for specialised treatment.

Tuesday, 15 November 2011

HUNDREDS of passengers were on Monday stranded at Mwanza Airport for several hours after heavy rains led to floods at the facility and suspension of flights.

The 'Daily News' witnessed hundreds of stranded passengers at the Mwanza Airport who were waiting for the situation to return to normal.

Officials said the situation was caused by torrential rains and could not easily be avoided.

The Acting Mwanza Airport Manager, Mr David Matovolwa, told this paper that heavy rains that began on Sunday evening led to floods in most parts of the airport compound.

"When it reached on Monday at 9.10 a.m the area was heavily flooded and hence we declared a closure of all activities and that means no flights were allowed to land or take off from here," said the manager.

The manager said the aircraft that suspended landing due to the floods included, Dash 8, CRJ 540 that were travelling from Kahama to Bulyankulu and Dar es Salaam to Mwanza respectively.

Saturday, 12 November 2011

In a move meant to reduce the rate of counterfeits, increase consumer protection and competition advocacy, the Fair Competition Commission (FCC) will today carry out awareness campaigns for various strategic groups in Mwanza Region.

Speaking in phone interview with this paper yesterday FCC Senior Communications and Public Relations Officer Frank Mdimi, said the seminar will draw over 60 participants from the business community, judiciary, police force, tax administration officers, regional and district trade officers and cooperative officers.

Others will be from the Regional Attorney General’s Chambers, consumer protection bodies, academic institutions and members of the press.

Friday, 11 November 2011

GOOD things are happening in the Great Lakes region; so fast and with such resolve that they could redraw, or at least redefine, Tanzania’s future tourism map in just months to come. Mary Kalikawe, a senior Tourism expert who once worked as an expatriate in Botswana’s department of tourism is now making waves back home in this silent evolution - although she is too modest to admit it.

Mary has many other arrows to her bow. In Tanzania, she has since founded Kiroyera Tours and a consulting firm of her own tourism company over the past 10 years which, in 2007, won the ZEZE award for its effort in promoting Cultural Tourism at home and abroad. Her firm also owns the Kagera Museum in her native Bukoba town.

None of these would mark Mary out so significantly if it weren’t for her burning resolve to ‘decongest’ old tourism routes of the fabled northern circuit and bring fresh breath to the rock city of Mwanza and Lake Victoria – the gateway to almost every East African Community (EAC) member state and to the rest of the world.

THE government is committed to revive the country's railway network to connect all parts of the country, Minister for Transport, Mr Omar Nundu told the National Assembly on Thursday.

''We are planning to revive our entire railway network in the country in the coming five years to ease transport woes,'' said Mr Nundu.

He further said that passenger trains would soon resume services to Mwanza from Dar es Salaam, after they were halted some years back. Currently, only cargo trains are operating between Mwanza and Dar es Salaam, through Tabora.

Wednesday, 9 November 2011

MAKOYE Budodi, 38, thinks that he doesn’t need to walk a long distance to fetch water for domestic use. A resident of Buhongwa ward in Mwanza city, Budodi recalls the early 1990s when he used to travel at least ten kilometres in search of that precious liquid.

This father of six has this to say, ”Sometimes we used to buy a bucket of water for 500/- when water shortage was very severe. But nowadays things have changed for the better as we have plenty of water around in our neighbourhood,” he explains.

Buhongwa ward is located about ten kilometres from the city centre, and Mr Budodi’s house has no water connections, but he fetches water from the nearby tap. ”I buy one bucket of water for only 30/-. The neighbours here are not selfish as they allow many people to get access to water, and sometimes others who cannoy pay for it are simply allowed to get it free of charge”, he explains.

Tuesday, 1 November 2011

A MONITORING, Control and Surveillance (MCS) fisheries unit in Mwanza Region has impounded over 900 immature Nile Perch fish, a species facing extinction due to illegal fishing on Lake Victoria.

MCS, which is under the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries Development, impounded a huge catch of prohibited fish species at the landing jet of a fish processing factory, Vickfish, located along the shore of Lake Victoria.

Fisheries regulations prohibit catching immature species and government authorities and activists against illegal fishing have repeatedly warned against illegal fishing perpetrated by unscrupulous fishermen, traders and some owners of fish processing factories.

TRAGICALLY, persecution of albinos has resurfaced. It has been years since it was last reported that people with albinism have been attacked or killed solely for their body.

Recently, however, there have emerged reports of an attack on a 14-year-old boy in Geita district, Mwanza Region. The shocking tale of how the boy was attacked, of all people, by a person they had invited to a meal is unfathomable. It is said that the boy was attacked by a man who had gone to their home on the pretext that he had lost his cattle and was looking for them.

Friday, 7 October 2011

Tarime. As a result of perennial clan clashes a number of traders have left Tarime District, many relocating to Mwanza where they have been doing a brisk business.

Briefing the deputy minister for Industries and Trade, Mr Lazaro Nyalandu, who visited the district to inspect the business environment, the Tarime District commissioner, Mr John Henjewele, said security concerns have made many people prefer to perform their activities in the neighbouring region.

He said the recurring clan clashes and cattle theft in the district have made many traders abandon the district and move to Mwanza.

Mr Henjewele said the situation had forced the district’s authorities to come up with strategies to improve the security situation to attract the traders back.

Wednesday, 5 October 2011

Mwanza’s Misungwi District, in Lake Victoria Basin, is home to many poor farmers who barely manage to grow enough food crops, mainly rice, to live on. Their top government official charged with fighting malaria is Dr Mathias Abuya.

His job includes attending to as many as 10,000 malaria cases a year. His duty is made more challenging by ruthless, increasingly sophisticated drug cartel of counterfeits.

Standing in his small and cluttered laboratory in the provincial hospital, also called Bugando, he holds up a small plastic bag containing two identical blister packs of Artemether Lumefantrine (ALU) coartem, an anti-malarial drug popularly known in Kiswahili as 'dawa mseto,' manufactured by Norvatis Pharmaceuticals of USA, being sold in pharmacies, with altered expiry dates.

The problem according Abuya is threatening hundreds of thousands of people. Worse still it is due to cold, calculated greed. Tanzania is awash in counterfeit medications, none more insidious than those for malaria, a deadly infectious disease that is usually curable if treated early with appropriate drugs.

Tuesday, 4 October 2011

THE Controller and Auditor General, Mr Ludovick Utouh, said here on Monday that his office plans to conduct an environment audit on Lake Victoria.

"The aim is to inspect the lake's condition and determine reasons behind rapid shrinking of fish resources," Mr Utouh said and added that his office in Dar es Salaam would execute the project in collaboration with counterparts in Kenya and Uganda.

He said his office had for long been associated with auditing financial statements, procurement records and expenditure in public and private institutions and not matters related to environment and fishing.

''We have arrested a total of 16 traders who are registered with Value added Tax(VAT) for selling goods without issuing receipts and got a revenue of 21m/- from them,'' Mara Regional TRA Acting Manager, Mr Gamaliely William Mafie, told reporters in Musoma on Thursday morning.

Thursday, 29 September 2011

THE Tanzania Food and Drug Authority (TFDA) has moved swiftly and suspended, with immediate effect importation and sale of four types of medicine, which unscrupulous traders have pushed into private clinics and pharmacies.

Sunday, 25 September 2011

More than 50 patients with burn scars will get free treatment to be provided by a team of Western Australian surgeons and nurses at Sekou Toure regional hospital in Mwanza late next month.

The exercise, scheduled to begin on October 30 and last until November 9, this year, will be carried out by the foreign doctors in collaboration with their local counterparts.

Speaking in Dar es Salaam recently mission coordinator Devotha Temba urged patients with the problem, especially from mining areas, to show up for the treatment.

“They should not worry about the cost. Various mining firms in the country will take care of all the charges,” she said, adding that the main objective of the mission was to share experiences between foreign and local medical experts.

Friday, 23 September 2011

POLICE in Mwanza have apologised to soccer fans and players of Simba SC and Toto Africans, following a bizarre incident on Wednesday, when a police dog wrecked havoc at the CCM Kirumba Stadium during the Premier League match.

Drama unfolded halfway in the first half, when the dog cut loose from the rope that bound her neck and entered into the pitch, only to cause mayhem among players.

Huffing and puffing, the dog chased Simba striker Felix Sunzu, but the towering Zambian star and two goals hero proved to be as fastest as Jamaican short distance runner Usain Bolt. He lost it within the bush of fellow players.

Thursday, 22 September 2011

VODACOM Tanzania will use 50m/- to sponsor the annual Cycle Challenge which will be staged next month in Shinyanga and Mwanza.

Briefing reporters in Shinyanga on Wednesday, Vodacom Tanzania Event Manager Rukia Mtingwa, said the challenge to start in Shinyanga and end in Mwanza on October 22, would have three categories.

The categories are men, women and disabled. Mtingwa said the race will cover 196 kilometres for men and 80 kilometres for women, while disabled category will cover 15 kilometres for men and 10 kilometres for women.

Monday, 19 September 2011

PRECISION Air, the fastest growing and largest local carrier in the country, has come under intense fire over frequent delays and flight cancellations.

Irritated passengers including a journalist who were stranded at Mwanza airport on Sunday called the 'Daily News' offices in Dar es Salaam, complaining over unfair treatment and lack of communication by the carrier when cancelling flights.

This happened after the passengers were told that the early morning flight from Mwanza to Dar es Salaam which was scheduled for 8:50 am would be delayed for almost two hours.

“My ticket showed that we were to take off at 8:50 in the morning but this never happened and when we demanded for explanation from the company’s ground handling officials at the airport, nothing convincing was communicated to us”, he said.

Friday, 16 September 2011

TANZANIA Breweries Limited through its Kilimanjaro Premium Lager brand has organised a Fun Festival for its Mwanza customers on Saturday , as part of the Kili ''Jivunie uTanzania'' Campaign in line with this year’s celebration of Tanzania’s 50 years of Independence.

This is the second phase of the campaign after taking a break during the Holy Month of Ramadhan that ended recently. A statement issued by the Kilimanjaro Premium Lager Brand Manager, George Kavishe, said the event will be held at Furahisha Grounds.

Tuesday, 13 September 2011

Over 170 HIV positive children between the age of one and 15 in Ilemela and Nyamagana districts are living without any form of medical care due to stigma from their parents and guardians.

The revelation was made by an HIV/Aids researcher, Dr Alex Margery, when presenting a report by a non governmental organisation that deals with providing services to victims of the disease in Mwanza City. He said research conducted between 2009/10 found that children in that age group did not receive any form of medical care due to stigma by parents and guardians.

He said the failure to expose the children to medical care systems was not due to being too busy but because of the shame of being seen at HIV/Aids centres receiving such services where they thought they would also be viewed by the society as infected persons.

She beat 30 others. Mohammed Gulle from Arusha prevailed in the men’s five-kilometre race, beating Dotto Ikangaa, also from Arusha and Pascal Ramadhan from Singida.

The race which started in 2009 has been organized by Capital-Plus International (CPI), an integrated communications firm based in Dar es Salaam and sponsored by Airtel, Geita Gold Mine, Air Tanzania Company Limited, Parastatal Pensions Fund (PPF), Bank M, MOIL, National Social Security Fund (NSSF), New Mwanza Hotel, and the Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB).

The Mwanza Regional Police Commander, Liberatus Balo, who was the guest of honour at the event, said he was impressed by the private sector's efforts to promote sports in the country and asked more companies to come forward and do the same.

EFFORTS are underway to drastically cut down the annual death toll on Lake Victoria - the world's second largest freshwater body and East Africa's largest lake - which officials estimate claims at least 5,000 lives every year.

"We are going to do something soon to trim down the death toll by 80 per cent in the blood-thirsty Lake Victoria by putting a reliable marine rescue service in place," said Dr Canisius Kanangire, the executive secretary of the Lake Victoria Basin Commission, quoting the commission's latest statistics.

Saturday, 27 August 2011

AFYA Radio FM, which is based in Mwanza, advocates for psychological, social and physical well-being of residents in the Lake Regions. It has recently introduced Citizen Journalism training for domestic workers in a quest to boost coverage on domestic violence.

Some media experts describe citizen journalism as a new philosophy which aims at training ordinary people to report events happening in their communities. It is another way of creating whistleblowers.

Speaking to the 'Daily News on Saturday' in an exclusive interview, the Director of the FM radio, Dr Joseph Kavit, said that besides the programmes addressing social issues that can bring psychological problems that often culminate in mental disorder, it continues focusing on domestic violence.

Friday, 26 August 2011

Mwanza. Lack of human resources in the health sector has been blamed for the rise in dubious miracle cures of chronic diseases in the country as patients opt for them.

This was said yesterday by the president of the Medical Doctors Association of Tanzania (MAT), Dr Namala Mkopi. He was briefing journalists on the association’s two-day annual general meeting being held at the Weil Bugando Hospital from today.

He said the scarcity has led to the diseases accounting for 60 to 70 per cent of all diseases in the country.

Dr Mkopi said after MAT noticing the problem growing bigger with little attention paid to it, they have decided to dedicate this year’s AGM to addressing it.

CHAMPION, a project funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), has launched an HIV awareness and prevention programme for energy projects under the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC).

Speaking during the launch in Mwanza, CHAMPION's Programme Officer for Work place Initiatives, Dr Andrew William, said the programme would oversee HIV and AIDS programming in the workplace and surrounding communities for MCC/MCA-T-supported transport, energy and water projects across nine regions.

Tuesday, 23 August 2011

DRILLING has commenced at a Bauckreef project in Mwanza in which the State Mining Corporation entered into joint venture with Tanzanian Royalty Exploration Corporation earlier this year to implement.

In a statement on Monday, TREC Chairman and Chief Operating Officer, Joseph Kahama said exploration for gold has reached an advanced stage while drilling for diamond is also under way.

Mr Kahama said in the statement that the Buckreef project has an estimated measured, 5.176 million tonnes grading 2.05 grams per ton with an indicated 24.97 million tonnes averaging 1.19 grams per ton and an inferred, 17.173 million tons grading 1.51 grams per ton.

Sunday, 21 August 2011

Human rights groups dealing with victims of domestic violence in the regions of Mwanza, Mara, Kagera, Shinyanga and Singida continue to support victims of that vile act through an effective network.

The programme officer Mr Zakaria Kulwa, said that Kivulini Women’s Right Organisation in Mwanza which supports other organizations dealing with domestic violence has continued to receive more cases of such cruel treatment of the fair sex on time and finding solutions.

He said that it was obvious women and domestic workers were now being able to understand their rights and turned out in large numbers to report such abuses. “We receive more than 10 cases of domestic violence everyday, which are registered by trained members of various networks including local government officials,” he said.

Monday, 15 August 2011

THE 6th Mwanza East African Trade Fair is scheduled to be held at the Saba Saba Grounds at Ilemela for ten days, from August 26, this year.

Announcing this, the Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (TCCIA) in Mwanza Region, Mr Joseph Kahungwa, told a news conference over the weekend that the theme of the fair is: "50 years of independence for business development in the country."

Saturday, 13 August 2011

MORE than 200 residents in Mwanza will be supplied with electricity through Rural Energy Agency (REA) programme in this financial year, the Deputy Minister for Energy and Minerals, Mr Adam Malima said here yesterday.

Mr Malima said that the government through Tanzania Electric Supply Company (Tanesco), was looking for more funds to implement the project which was meant to ensure that rural areas still in darkness would be connected to the national grid.

Mr Malima was responding to a question raised by Festus Limbu, MP for Magu on CCM ticket, who enquired to know what efforts the government made to ensure that Ndagalu Division in Magu constituency gets electric power. The division has had no power for almost 50 years since independence.

Tuesday, 9 August 2011

Just about ten years ago it was inconceivable that the dusty town of Mwanza that had just been declared city could have skyscrapers that are now jutting into the sky. From its humble beginnings after it was founded in 1892 as a centre for coordinating cotton exports, Mwanza is now one of the fastest expanding cities in Africa in terms of population growth and economic and social activities.

The speed of its growth was partly to blame for the recent hawkers’ riots in which at least one person was killed and several others injured. Damage to property ran into millions of shillings. It was a conflict that was caused by a scramble for the available resources.

However, despite this growth, which over the last decade has seen several skyscrapers being erected, tens of kilometres of tarmac roads built and the hospitality industry expand substantially, the city fathers, like those of Dar es Salaam, seem unable to cope with the rapid development.

For example, Mwanza city has two major roads - Makongoro that connects the airport and the city centre and Musoma, which runs from Nyegezi to the city centre. Nyamagana District, the cosmopolitan part of the city, is right in the middle of suburbs that cover a radius of approximately ten kilometres. This means that almost all of the traffic heads in one direction where more than 90 per cent of services such as banks, hospitals, markets and shops are to be found.

Tuesday, 2 August 2011

Nine regions have so far confirmed their participation in this year’s Rock City Marathon set for September 4 at CCM Kirumba in Mwanza.

Organised by Capital-Plus International (CPI), an integrated communications firm and sanctioned by the Athletics Tanzania (AT) and the Mwanza Regional Athletics Association of Tanzania (MRAA), is one of the major athletics events in the country.

The event’s coordinator, Zaitun Ituja confirmed yesterday that preparations for the annual event were in top gear.

“Preparations for the third edition of Rock City Marathon are in full swing. Nine regions have so far registered for the race,” she said.

Over Sh500 million is needed to implement a project to draw water from Lake Victoria to villages facing water shortage in Mwanza Region, the deputy minister for Regional Administration and Local Governments, Mr Aggrey Mwanri, told Parliament in Dodoma on Friday.

He said most villages preferred boreholes because they were manageable, cheap to run and more sustainable compared with ambitious projects to draw the precious liquid from the lake which they buy for Sh400 for a bucket and that such projects are very expansive to maitain.

He was responding to a supplementary question by Mr Highness Kiwia (MP for Ilemela, Chadema) who expressed his concern over the project drawing water from Lake Victoria to Shinyanga Region while people around the lake including Ilemela, Kirumba, Bugogwa, Sangabuye and Buswelu wards experienced severe water shortages.

Sunday, 31 July 2011

CHANCES of extending the gas pipeline from Dar es Salaam Mombasa look very slim after realisation by the Tanzania government that it would be more beneficial to construct a pipeline to the Lake Zone area through the Central Corridor.

According to senior government officials who are privy to the process, the Government wants to have the pipeline through Dodoma, Singida and other regions to run up to Mwanza built before any plans to extend it to Mombasa are taken on board.

"Local experts have convinced the government that it would be more advantageous to have the gas pipeline built through the Central Corridor than one that runs from Dar es Salaam through Tanga to Mombasa," said one of the officials who attended last months Sectoral Council on Energy meeting.

The official further said that even though the study for Dar es Salaam-Tanga-Mombasa pipeline was done whereby it showed the project was viable "the study noted that Dar es Salaam, from where Mombasa was to be connected, was having gas constraints but they still recommended the project was economically justified."